Heart treatment may boost brain chemical, study hints
NCT ID NCT02627183
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at 200 people with atrial fibrillation to see if treatments like catheter ablation or exercise training change levels of a brain chemical called BDNF. Researchers also checked if these changes relate to mood and quality of life. The goal was to gather knowledge, not to test a new cure.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2016
- Finished
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Jun 2024
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Subjects with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation that will undergo catheter ablation and subjects with permanent or persistent atrial fibrillation undergoing exercise training two times weekly for 12 weeks as part of their involvement in the OPPORTUNITY Study (NCT02602457).
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Subjects must be either currently enrolled in the OPPORTUNITY trial (NCT02602457) or have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and be scheduled to undergo catheter ablation (for the first time) through the electrophysiology clinic at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. 2. Subjects must be willing and able to provide a blood sample. 3. Subjects must be willing and able to provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Subject is not either currently enrolled in the OPPORTUNITY trial (NCT02602457) or scheduled to undergo catheter ablation (for the first time) through the electrophysiology clinic at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. 2. Subjects with congestive heart failure with heart failure admission in the past 3 months. 3. Subjects with a cerebrovascular accident in the past 3 months 4. Subjects with severe dementia. 5. Subjects with a history of severe psychiatric illness (e.g., schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia). 6. Subjects with an active infection or inflammatory condition. 7. Subjects who are pregnant, lactating or planning to become pregnant during the study period. 8. Subject is unable to read or understand English or French. 9. Subject is unable to provide informed consent.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y4W7, Canada
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Pacemaker lead position may cut heart rhythm complication
- Can zapping the heart beat drugs for AF in heart failure?
- Heart hole or stroke trigger? global registry tracks who gets closure and what happens next
- Two ways to quiet a racing heart: trial pits hybrid ablation against standard catheter treatment
- Stroke's hidden heart rhythm clue under investigation